Turkey’s oldest film festival has been canceled amid controversy surrounding a politically sensitive documentary about the aftermath of a 2016 coup attempt
Turkey’s oldest film festival has been canceled amid controversy surrounding a politically sensitive documentary about the aftermath of a 2016 coup attempt.
Antalya Mayor Muhittin Bocek announced the cancellation of the city’s Golden Orange Film Festival on Friday night, a day after the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry withdrew its support for the event.
The ministry objected to the film “Kanun Hükmü” or “The Decree,” a documentary which focuses on the hardships of a teacher and a doctor who were dismissed from their jobs following an attempted coup in Turkey on July 15, 2016.
“It is extremely sad that in such an important festival, the power of art is used to make propaganda for the FETO terrorist organization through the perception of victimhood,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement.
FETO is an acronym the Turkish government uses for a movement led by U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the government blames for the failed coup. Gulen denies any involvement. More than 130,000 alleged Gulen supporters in Turkey were fired from their jobs under emergency decrees declared after the military uprising.